“Maxwell, guess what?” I was in the kitchen washing dishes. Soap bubbles were swishing around in the hot water, and my feet had warmed the floor underneath me. I shifted to find a cold spot to stand. “What, Mama?” He was sitting at the dining room table — our new table, one that can easily… [Read More]

The morning came faster than I wanted. I heard Natalie’s little footsteps toddling on the hardwood floors, and I knew I needed to get up before Maxwell woke up. He woke last night, burning with fever, and I rushed to take his temperature and offer him some water. I had just fallen asleep, but I… [Read More]

Well, hey there! I have so much on my mind (I’m noticing this is a trend for me), and you probably gathered that if you took my survey within the last few days. Honestly, my goal was to receive 100 responses. But, friends, nearly 650 of you took the survey! I have adored this space,… [Read More]

About once a year, I look forward to learning more about you and your interests through a reader survey — especially when I have the chance to hear from you unguided. When you fill out the paragraph box with whatever you’d like to share, that is the cherry on top for me. You are a… [Read More]

I sewed a Gussy pouch last week. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? And before last week, I honestly wasn’t sure when I would make myself one… I decided last minute to photograph myself with my new ruffled pouch, with the wooden button stitched on top, and all my happy glory captured. Looking at this photo, I… [Read More]

Eight years ago I found myself enthralled with the handmade community. I was learning from every resource I could find, both online and in-print, and I was sharing nearly everything on my blog. Very quickly I found myself nestled in community. I had FINALLY found the right combination of work as a handmade maker and… [Read More]

This is a very common question in our home (mostly by me), How do I get [blank] done? Zack and I are constantly re-arranging our priorities and tasks. Sometimes this happens naturally as the seasons change, but more often it happens as the kids are transitioning into another developmental phase (and we’re sort of… [Read More]

Chores. They sure like to weasel themselves into my home, laughing so quietly at me that no one else hears them. So instead of feeding the frenzy, I decided to do something about how much time I was spending on kitchen chores. I made three easy changes, perhaps they’ll work well for you? That is, if they’ve… [Read More]

Yesterday, I finally accepted that Fall has made it’s way to town, and I brought in my hanging plants from our front porch. I won’t even tell you how many houseplants I have now ;) Hint: it rhymes with “orteen”. One of Max’s favorite things to do is bake. With the change in outside weather,… [Read More]

FINALLY! Our family is back to living in Michigan (where four different seasons exist), and I’m parading my excitement around by using washi-taping fallen autumn-colored leaves to our front door, burning manly-scented candles, and baking many batches of pumpkin spice muffins. You can check my Instagram feed if you don’t believe me ;) Our home… [Read More]

One of my dear, real-life friends, Jessica Turner, wrote a book last year called The Fringe Hours: Making Time for You. I talk about her message often, and for good reason: because it’s life-giving, encouraging, and practical. Don’t we all want to surround ourselves with that kind of support? I know I do. And, when… [Read More]

Towards the end of summer, while reading blogs, I stumbled upon a few photos of macramé plant holders and I thought, I think I need to learn how to make one! The kids are so good about leaving plants and within-reach decorations alone, so my main focus for wanting a hanging plant holder was mostly… [Read More]

Our family is three babies blessed, and it’s been such a joy to go through the baby clothes, bedding, and tiny rattles with each pregnancy. Before we were parents, I wasn’t really sure which items would become favorites. Ask me now, and I’ll give you my list — no hesitation! It’s important our baby items… [Read More]

Hey friends! The weather has took a turn towards cooler air, and I absolutely love it! When we were living in Los Angeles we rarely saw shades of red and yellow on the top half of trees, and so this is partly why I’m realllllly loving that fall is upon us. Our 2-mile round trip… [Read More]

I haven’t been a mama for that long, less than a handful of years, but I have learned a few tricks that keep us afloat. You know the days when everything seems to be spiraling down the drain. All the littles are crying: the middle one is tired and so she’s tripping and stumbling all… [Read More]

Earlier this summer we achieved a HUGE financial goal for our family, we paid off our 2010 Chrysler mini-van! We have finally made a plan to become debt-free, and while seeing how much we owe written down on paper makes me a bit queasy, I am so happy we’re acting like adults and have made… [Read More]

[dusts off computer keyboard] Hello there, stranger! ;) Let’s get right down to the nitty gritty of what I have to share today, yeah? I’ve been wanting to write here for a few weeks now, but something more important always comes up. In my head I’ve written a few posts since the end of July,… [Read More]

Another week is wrapping up, and I just have to say MY GOODNESS, that was a rather hard one. We are transitioning Natalie from her crib to a toddler bed (she’s not quite 21 months, however Goldie has outgrown her cradle) and it’s not gone well. I mean, Natalie is having the time of her… [Read More]

Earlier this year I lost my Fitbit. At some point while packing for our move to Detroit, I stuck it in a bag (why wasn’t I wearing it?!) and then naturally forgot about it until about 90 days ago. As soon as I found it I told my mom something like, What’s the point in… [Read More]

You know me, I could chat endlessly about the importance of 20-minute crafts. What I love most is it doesn’t really matter where you work or with whom you work, but taking the time to be creative (EVEN without actual craft supplies — you were born to be creative in a way that’s totally unique… [Read More]

Every once in a while I take a few hours on Saturday to do a little cleaning. I usualy clean throughout the week, but sometimes Saturday is “the day”. To help me tidy up our kitchen, I use Caldrea’s lovely smelling dish soap. Their counter top spray is pretty great, too :) Make sure you… [Read More]

In our house, as long as we’re living here, we’ll always have dishes needing to be washed. It used to bother me that our dishes sit dirty and stacked on the counter (or in the sink, since we don’t have a dishwasher), but I think it would bother me more if we didn’t dirty our… [Read More]

Miss Marigold, you’ve been a part of our family for exactly three months now. Our love for you is settled deep into our hearts, and your life is a beautiful gift. Mamahood is indeed the hardest calling I’ve been given… I feel really grateful for the wisdom to know life can be hard, but also… [Read More]

From the day we moved into our new home I’ve been wanting to put something on our front porch. And that was about five months ago! It’s a generously sized covered space, and we get an equal mix of pure sun and shade. I think it’s time to do something about this want, it’s time… [Read More]

How has it been over three weeks since my last published post? I could have swore I wrote something since then (perhaps only in my head?)… But alas, I have not. What I have noticed is I’ve found myself posting less and less about my tribe of littles, and it’s not for lack of care… [Read More]

Ya know, when we get right down to it, we’re not that different from one another. We may have different hobbies or day jobs or hair styles, but we’re both women who work very hard to take care of our families, friends, and selves. And that makes me breathe a long sigh of relief. We… [Read More]

A few thoughts on this mamahood thing: There will always be more to do each day than feasibly possible. Each day is supposed to leave us with choices: do I clean up the mess, or do I play with the kids? do I take them for a long walk, or do we stay inside and… [Read More]

ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie has been writing online since 2008 to inspire women to pursue the adventure of life. Her blog writings are centered around faith, simple living, motherhood & cultivating joy. Maggie and her family live near Detroit where she home schools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laugher over the challenges & delights of motherhood.
"Inspiration is all around you."
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